I've got the funk, and I am not talking about the funk that Parliament sings about. I am a goofy white guy who will never have that funk, although I think I would rather have it than the kind I have. Two weeks ago today I started to have a little sore throat, it was downhill from there. I went to the doctor Wednesday or Thursday and by the end of the week I was like deathly ill - O.K. not deathly ill but definitely sicker than ever and since I am a weenie, I will equate that with feeling like I was going to die. Well it just so happened that our preaching minister Bruce was out after having surgery. So, since I was filling in for Bruce I spoke in his absence that Sunday with 102 degree fever, it was an interesting feeling. By Monday my fever was broken and I was starting to recover a bit, even though I was still pretty much exhausted. Wednesday our student's and I set up five prayer stations for our church to go through. It was really nice, I think people really enjoyed them and were encouraged. I was pretty impressed with how people reacted to it. It was really neat. Our theme was, "God is Our Rock" and we did stations forcused on God's love and protection and strength. It was neat. Back to the story...
So, I think I was feeling OK by Friday and also had done a good bit in preparing my message for last Sunday. I think it went pretty well. By Sunday night though I was starting to feel bad again, and now I am on a tear where I can't stop sneezing. Can't sleep, am stopped up. It's all back like I never got well. All of this sickness has been really frustrating to me. I have never been sick this much for this long. Sickness come, sickness go - or move in and stay a while and leave when you feel like your vacation is over. (Anyway, I am going to get to the real point here.)
As I mentioned briefly before, for the last two weeks I was asked to fill in for our preaching minister on the two Sundays he was out. So, I glady did that. My first week I decided to speak about John 5 and the lame man who is healed and the obvious differences that John presents about this miracle and the other miracles Jesus performs. That went really well, I felt good about the message. Actually, I really don't remember much of what I said or did, as I was ready at anytime that morning to, pass out.
This last week I spoke about spiritual blindness from John 9. I can remember some of what I said and the points I was trying to relate, pretty well. Actually, I really felt good about this message, I just felt like God was using me (for both weeks for that matter) to say some things that really needed to be said. I made some points about us being willing to admit our own blindness and how God is ready to use us if we will allow him to remove our blindness and ask for his healing.
It was well recieved I think, I believe the message was pretty well communicated. At the end of the service someone came up to me and made a comment about how clapping in our worship service doesn't allow their family to attend our church. I acknowledged the comment, said I was sorry. Moved on and thought, "Did you just hear a word I said, anything, even a little bit of it?" Apparently not. I went on about my morning and Susan and Hayden and I did what typical coc'ers do best. That is beat our baptist brothers to lunch at Luby's. OK not Luby's but Cracker Barrel. I got home after a savory meal of chicken -n- dumplins and then my cell phone rang. It just so happens that so and so is upset about ___________ (you fill-in the blank here) and their calling so and so and so and so to gossip, I mean express their dissapointment.
People are important to God, I know that, He loves everyone! For that I am thankful. There are many days when I don't have the energy or willpower to deal with some of the things that are so "important" like what kind of songs we should sing, how long should the sermon be, can we put this or that up in the auditorium? I pray that God will help heal us all of our blindness, Satan is doing the best job ever of keeping us off task. God please forgive us.
I once was blind, now I see....please just let me see with Kingdom vision and great spiritual eyes. I don't want to be blind anymore.
k2 said...
great post cl, and great sermons, too, bro!
as i read i was about to stop and comment by asking, "hey! where's the luby's?" we haven't had a meal at one since texas.
so when was there any clapping? i guess i didn't hear it, because i was clapping too loud to hear it. i mean, because i didn't hear any.
i kinda brought this up in my life group sunday. i mean, we all place so much importance on how service should be, when it should be Who it is for.
good to hear from you again!
erinlo said...
I get so frustrated with all this c of c crap!!! I wish we could all just get over ourselves and let God do His thing.
Jason Retherford said...
CL,
You've hit the nail on the head here brother.
I want to comment on your most recent post a little later, anyway. It's funny you mentioned the clapping issue. Shortly after I moved to OK, I was preparing for our Area wide teen worship, and one brother from a nearby church called me to check and see if we were going to have hand clapping in our worship? I told him I didn't have a regularly scheduled clap time, but I certainly wouldn't stop if it started.
So, just know the the clapping issue is everywhere. I also have heard of other churches that disfellowship others because they are clappers and hand raisers. I want to know in the Word where God condemns clapping and raising hands? And where he gives us the permission to disfellowship churches. I thought the disfellowship thing was for individuals, hmm.?
Anyway, recently I was asked if I have talked to our girls about not wearing shorts to church. I told concerned sister, no, but my wife has (what I meant to say to concerned sister was that my wife has talked about the importance of modesty). I didn't know that wearing shorts to church was a sin.
I am being a little spiteful here, but I appreciate your willingness to say what you did to your congregation. May God heal all of our blind eyes!
